The Great Space Race
by Captain Johannes
Summary: The king of Russia, Rurik, is a foolish, mean-spirited drunk that leaves the duties of running his country to his government officials and lawmakers. But he has been blessed to oversee the construction of a spaceship capable of sending man into new galaxies. But his neighbor across the water won't lose this war of technology without a fight.
1. Chapter 1- The King of Russia

King Alexander's Challenge

As I took a long draw on my Byzantine cigar, the chief of intelligence operations, General Verkhenov, came bursting in. Startled, I nearly dropped my cigar right out of my mouth. "S-Sir! Our spy in Greece... Has vanished! He's gone off the map!" I pounded my fist on the side of my leather chair. Just my luck! "What?! How? I thought he was in no danger whatsoever! I trusted you to see this mission through, Verkhenov! Would you like to end up like the last intelligence chief?" Verkhenov was still panting like a dog, and my patience was growing thin. I couldn't afford to lose to the Greeks in this new space race. And the only hope of intel on their progress had simply been washed away. "B-But, there's some... Good news. Somehow, moments before he disappeared, he was able to digitally send us the info he had." I stood up out of my chair. Verkhenov was starting to sound more like he might live another few years. "Show it to me then!" The clumsy fool scrambled to get it out of his pocket, and lifted it towards me. "The Greeks... Have completed the construction of NINE spaceship parts? That is... Unacceptable! WE have nine as well! How... How did they manage to catch up so quickly?" Verkhenov straightened his tie, and replied, "There's more, Sir. Our spy also sent us an audio recording, regarding the Greek's technoligical advances as of late." Verkhenov brought out a little device from his pocket, and played it. "The Greeks, Sir, have yet to catch up to us in terms of technology. But their military, to say the least, is incredibly strong. We must keep our progress a secret, or they will surely launch a cowardly assualt to stop us. They are many years away from understanding the art of robotics, and I believe- Oh, no. They're here. Damn it... May Russia flourish under the leadership of Grand Prince Rurik...!" I paused for a moment, trying to process everything I had heard on the tape. "Order Moscow to build the next spaceship part, now. We have no time to waste." The Chief of Intelligence flashed a quick salute, and hurried out the door.

I checked my 1638 model pocketwatch, the one that was a gift from Chairman Mao. It was 11:08, and I was already half drunk, as per usual. "Oh, uh... Vladimir? Vladimir! Fetch me some of that Vodka from my fridge, will you?" Vladimir's real name was Vladimir Detrikhno, but I prefered his first name, since it was always my favorite. "Vodka, my Lord? Forgive me, but we are right in the middle of a heated space race with the Greeks! Aren't you worried? They are known for their top-grade scientists and their well-funded research, Sir." I snatched the vodka right out of Vladimir's hand. "Of course! I hate those damn Greeks. But, y'know, sometimes you just need to wind down..." Vladimir gave me a funny look, but changed the subject. "Well, seeing as I'm your foreign advisor, I'll suggest something. At least have the courtesy to listen." I looked up at him, from my Royal bathtub. "Yes, I am listening." Vladimir cleared his throat, which he always did before he said something important. "A trade agreement... with the Greeks... Might be a-" I stood up out of my bathtub, and proceeded to slap Vladimir. "Bastard! I will not speak to them as long as they try to compete with us! I could execute you for speaking such blashphemy." Vladimir said nothing for a few minutes. I half-expected him to run out the door or say he was sorry, but he did neither. "What I was going to say, Sir, was that maybe you could rig a deal, and offer it to them." I took a long sip of vodka before I looked up to face Vladimir. "Rig? I like the sound of that." Vladimir nodded, and explained the whole thing as I became more and more drunk. When he was finally done. I laughed loudly. "Oh ho ho! Great, just, just, that's a wonderful idea! Now, um... oh, y-yes, tell our new diplomat Zarunov to depart for Athens first thing in the morning!" Vladimir gave me another one of his funny looks. "Are you even in a state to make such decisions? My Lord, I don't think-" I stood up out of the bathtub, again. "Just... just go! There's uh, uh, little time to be... ah, wasted here... so go!" Vladimir finally gave me the peace and quiet I longed for. I stumbled onto the balcony overlooking my courtyard, and cheered, "P-people of Russia! We can... we can beat the Greeks in this, uh, space race! I am cer-certain, that we can win! All hail King- Gaaaah!" Suddenly the ground came up to meet me as I fell onto the courtyard steps.

"Ah, the King's awake!" I blinked my eyes open, unaware of where I was. "How will he react to the news? Does he even remeber last night?" I was practically blinded by the bright lights of the room I was in. "Am I... in a hospital?" A man standing by my bed nodded. "I am afraid so, My Lord. But more importantly, there is news regarding the decision you made last night." I blinked again, and searched my memories. "Oh... oh! The diplomat. I was drunk... How did it go? What time of the day is it, in the first place?" Another man walked in, appearing more official than the man standing beside my bed. "The diplomatic mission to Athens was a total success. We gave them our technology in exchange for theirs, how ever patheic it was." I sat up, and questioned the servant further. "So, what does that add up to?" The servant came closer, and smiled. How unprofessional! "Well, from the clues the new recruit was able to gather, they were feeling a little bit strong, with their new and improved military, and implied some shady intentions before our diplomat revealed the deal. But when he did, they ate it up like some starving dogs. They think the tech we gave them was priceless, when in reality we're still more than twenty years ahead of them, for sure. And I believe after that they were appeased, much to our relief. You wouldn't believe the panic that was spreading around duirng your 12-hour little knock-out period there. If it wasn't for the man acting in your place, I don't think it would've worked out." I paused. What did this man mean by that last part? "Acting in my place? Who did that?" The man answered, "Your foreign advisor, Mr. Detrikhno." I smiled too, even though I barely noticed it. "Well, I'll have to thank him later, I suppose." Another man walked in, dressed in a suit that only an offical from my court would wear. "But, we're not nearly out of the woods yet. The Greeks are still on our tail, and they still have the same number of spaceship parts we do. And I've heard from some other government officials that the Greeks know the deal was rigged, and they still have bad intentions. With all due respect my Lord, this is the worst time to get a swelled head." I slumped back down in my bed, and sighed, "Well, I guess we'll find out, then. And tell that new diplomat he's getting a raise!" The official nodded. and walked out. "Well, m'Lord, I think the doctors here can take care of you until you recover. Good health, King Rurik."


	2. Chapter 2- A Message From a Friend

Chapter II

"Now that you're back in your office, I think it's high time you took a serious report at what the Greek spaceship is like," Said Dimitri, my science advisor. "A look? I didn't even know we had any documents that showed us that sort of thing." Dimitri rubbed his forehead, like he was really annoyed with me. "Don't you remember when we were walking out of the hospital? Oh, nevermind. Just look here," He told me, pointing to a blurry photograph with captions that were obviously Greek, and not Russian.

"This looks more complete than our spaceship," I told Dimitri. He awkwardly scratched his arm. "Uh, well, it has been a few months since you last visited it." I stood up and grabbed my favorite pipe, which was a gift from Portugal after they had stupidly invaded us back in the 200's. I was still young, as all world leaders age incredibly slow for some reason, but I still remembered those years like they were last week. "Don't take me for a fool, Dimitri. There is simply no way we could've built any new parts in such a short time! It would take a few years at least, right?" Dimitri scratched his head.

"Actually, not with our newest technology." I stood up quickly, causing my chair to go flying back into the wall. "Tell me all about this new technology you speak of!" Dimitri cleared his throat. "Well, we're calling it 'Robotics', and what this technology will do for us, at least with the spaceship, is make it much easier to build, using the art of machinery more efficiently." I clapped my hands together in excitement. "Yes, finally! A technology we can beat the Greeks with!" Dimitri only smiled. "Well, I've got to go and check out the newly renovated Royal Labratory, so take care of yourself for me, okay?" I nodded at Dimitri. "You are dismissed, advisor."

I was about half asleep when some idiot flung open the doors to my office, much to my annoyance. "King Rurik, Sir! Chairman Mao of China has sent a video message for you." When I lifted my head off my desk, some low-ranking member of the diplomatic council was standing there, all panicked. What an idiot! Back in my more youthful days, I'd usually execute a man for doing something so foolish. I was only roughly 50 in citizen years, but I still was a lot more lazy than I was about five years ago.

"Bring it in," I said, still tired. the fresh, young council member quickly inserted the tape into the screen behind my desk. "Friend of China, King Rurik, we have recently heard from your diplomats that you have discovered robotics thanks to the genius of your scientists. This is great news, but I must warn you to be very careful now that you have new technology. We have also made recent technological advances, and when news spread internationally it was only a matter of months before we found a Greek spy hiding in one of our labratories, no doubt intending to steal our technology. The Greeks have ill intentions, King Rurik, and I send you this message to caution you. That is all I have to say, so goodbye and good luck, King Rurik."

I bit my thumb, like I always did when I was thinking hard. The Greeks always made the strangest moves. Building up a huge army only to use it defensively? Being secretive and deceptive in a time when nations were trading and being generally friendly with each other? Nothing they did added up, which bothered me. I dismissed the council member, and picked up the phone to call my domestic advisor, who I rarely ever visited with these days. "Mrs. Ketrikop? Increase the science funding, right now! This is urgent!" Mrs. Ketrikop always tried to make a huge deal out of things, but I always made sure she did what I wanted. Because I out of all the Russian people knew, we needed to win this little war.


	3. Chapter 3- Humiliation and Revenge

Chapter III

"What do you mean, 'We'll be live in ten minutes'?"

I couldn't believe I had agreed to do an interview with these clowns- especially one that would be broadcast live to the whole nation! Me, The Grand Prince of Russia, agreeing to such a stupid thing!

"We, uh, thought you'd be ready by then," Said an inexperienced looking tech man. I hated it when people assumed they knew everything.

"Why?! My hair's not combed, my suit isn't fully on, and my tie is missing! Dammit, do you fools even know who I am?"

Only one man, some ancient looking journalist, nodded. These young people would be the death of me, I swear. "Just be ready to face the camera in ten minutes, M'Lord."

The same young fool from before said it in an almost patronizing tone. I hated it when people talked to me that way. I got up and took a break from all the preperations in my private quarters. There I brushed my hair back, the way I liked it, and found a replacement tie, and before I knew it those clowns outside were pounding on my door like their lives depended on it. "King! We'll be on the air in one minute! Please come out soon."

I hated doing this. But in any case, I walked out to the designated room to deliver a great talk to my people. I tried to smile, and face the man who was interviewing me. "Alright, King Rurik! 3...2...1... we're live!"

"Greetings, people of great and prosperous Russia! As you already know, Greece, our neighbors across the Rurikian Strait, have accidentally started a little race. And there have been claims that they are as close as we are to completing a spaceship capable of carrying man into the depths of space. But, I can assure you they will never be able to finish it before we do. They don't have the genius, the technology, or the strength to do it!"

The interviewer was shooting me an awkward look, so I paused. "Thank you for that speech, King Rurik. Now, what do you believe your next move will be in terms of this new space race?"

I glanced around, trying to think about an answer. "I think the best course of action is to increase the science funding, since it naturally channels into how effectively we build our spaceship," I told him.

"I see. But what about the recent complaints that all the money that goes to science is slowly draining the treasury?" The interviewer looked at me like he had caught me off guard or something.

"Well, people have to realize that, um, right now winning this space race is the most important thing for our country, and if that means the treasury has to suffer for while, then so be it."

"Okay. Now, what about..." The questions were all frustrating, obnoxious, and clearly made to make me look like a damned fool. After the drawn-out interview ended, I stormed back into my room. I hated how people were, thinking they could walk over me, a king!

"Damn it! Disgraceful, unrespectful bastards! They should all rot in hell!" I threw an old vase at the all, shattering it. I was drunk out of my mind on imported sake from Japan. A guilty pleasure, something I never drank in front of other people. "All of them are disgusting! They should all be shot dead!" I threw a pot against the the bathroom window, smashing both things into little pieces.

"Sir, please try to calm down! Those men set you up! You know they're alligned with the Liberal Democratic Party!" Vladimir's efforts were in vain. I had never been more upset than in that moment.

"It... it was a serious matter, and they turned it into a joke! A damn joke, Vladimir!" Vladimir shook his head, like he cared at all.

"Well, you should've known something like this was coming, King Rurik." I turned my head, confused.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, haven't you noticed all the limits to your powers? All the bills, acts, and other nonsense?" I stood up, almost vomiting due to my intoxication.

"Limits? How could I have not noticed? How many of these bastards are against me?" I took another long swig of my sake, and then I placed my pipe in my mouth. It was one of the worst nights of my long life.

"It's unfortunate, but you see, a lot of people, powerful politicians in parliament as well, don't believe in the power of the old Russian monarchy anymore. Ever since you were 40, so about 300 years ago, you became noticably more sendentary, and you seemed to be a lot more reclusive, and to be frank, you seemed to not really care," Explained Vladimir, who looked me dead in the eye.

"Why...why have they lost their faith in me?" I struggled to stay upright. Vladimir cleared his throat, that damn nervous fool.

"To be clear, King, I still believe in you. After all, I've stood by your side ever since you were barely old enough to rule this land. But times are changing, and with it so are people's opinions. They think you're old and washed up, and I hate to say it, but a lot of people... have been planning a revolt, to replace you with a more democratic leader." I dropped my sake, and my pipe fell out of my mouth, and smacked the floor. "Impossible... This news..." I couldn't finish my sentence. My mouth turned dry, and my mind was blank.

"It's okay, Lord," Said Vladimir, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I have plan, to stop all this madness. I may be your foreign advisor, and only qualified to deal with such matters, but I think I know how to stop this: An act of power. Show the people of Russia your might, just like you did when you were younger. Whatever it turns out to be, just do it quick. If you turn into a joke, you'll certainly be dethroned. Just make it quick, and effective."

My mind began racing with thoughts, just like when I used to be younger.

"Thank you, Vladimir. I'll let them know who's in charge."

Vladimir nodded, shook my hand, and headed home, like he hadn't just saved my life.

Vladimir, the advisor who always shined like a star among the rest. The one who always knew what to do in any given situation. The one who's cunning was so sharp it could stab like a knife through flesh. I may have been king, but he would make a fine prince.


	4. Chapter 4- A Show of Power

Chapter IV

I slipped on my old leather boots, and finally my outfit was complete. The full military uniform. I straightened my jacket out in the mirror, admiring myself, and finally made my way out onto the street. "Good morning, M'Lord. Where are you headed? I thought you had nothing scheduled for today."

I smirked, and told the lowly servant, "That's what _you_ thought."

I walked with my hands folded behind my back, and grabbed my megaphone, along with my finest stallion. I rode until I came upon the barracks of my personal guard, who hadn't seen service in a while.

"Arise, men! Duty calls upon you to accompany me to the center square of Moscow, and you must stand by me until I am done with my speech there! Bring all your gear and equipment, for it might be put to use!"

Without taking another look back I proceeded to the center square, the busiest part of grand old Moscow. Countless numbers of people walked through there every morning, all of them perfect examples...

"People of Russia! I have an announcement to make to you all!"

Reluctantly everyone in the square gathered around, slowly however.

"It appears that most of you... don't believe in my power anymore. A shame, really, because I've also heard news that you people want to revolt! A revolt, against your beloved king Rurik?"

I shook my head, purposely exaggerating the motion to show how disappointed I was. Now it was time to close in for the moment I was waiting for!

"I guess the only thing I can do to show you people that I'm a capable leader is to... pick some volunteers for _execution_. Who would like to come up and be an example?" Of course, no one raised their hand. I decided then that I would pick them myself.

"Alright then. General Gastrov, the man in the blue tie with the _Democratic_ briefcase. Bring him to me. I'll do it myself."

With a quick salute, Gastrov galloped on his jet black horse to snatch the fool who had aligned himself with my enemies. He started to run, but naturally on horseback, Gastrov caught up to him. After a few whips frm his revolver, Gastrov was able to bring him within arms reach, and handcuff him. "Do what you please with 'im, M'Lord." I nodded to him.

As the young, stupid businessman struggled, I pulled out my favorite gun- A prototype shotgun pistol, one I had yet to put to actual use. But at the Royal firing range, it was great. So accurate. So lethal.

"Well, I guess we've got our first volunteer. Now, who wants to see what will happen to them if they try to revolt against me?" No one answered, of course. In that case, my gun would do all the talking.

"Young man, I'm sorry this must happen. _I truly am_. But, someone had to do it, and it was your brave soul."

I could hear the young man cussing up a storm, though no one but me could hear him. I raised my pistol high into the sky, and slowly let the weight of it push my arm down to the right angle, pointed right at the volunteer's head. A beautiful silence had set over the center square, and I broke it with a single pull of the trigger. "Bang!" I almost smiled, but I quickly got myself together.

"..." No one spoke. No one in the crowd had dared to come against me, now that I had made an example of someone. I considered maybe stopping there, but I knew that would've been too easy. I motioned for General Gastrov "How about... 9 more volunteers? No wait, make that 20. Gather them here, just like with the last one."

Gastrov leaned closer, asking, "Any preferences for who you're going to execute, King?"

I smirked, answering, "Democratic Party members. The scum of this nation."

Without any hesitation, Gastrov ordered his men to do just what I had asked. Even though I had been alive for a long, long time now, I still could never get used to the moments where I got to exercise my great power. "Hah... Hahahahaha!"

I was thankful no one could hear my horrible laughter.

After the first ten were put out of their misery, a lot of people in the crowd started screaming. No matter how hard they were beat with the end of a rifle, or sprayed with tear gas, they would never shut up. The 15th person to be executed was an elderly man, wearing a button boasting that he had "voted" Democratic, he caused quite the riot among the crowd.

"Bastard!"

"Tyrant!"

"Let him go! He's just an old man!"

"Stop it, you son of a bitch!"

"I'll kill you!"

All their cries, all their yelling... it only made me angrier. "Argh... just die, old man!" I watched the bullet go through him, cutting clean through. the next thing I knew, a huge mass of people had broken through the barricades and were trying to reach me.

"Personal guard! I expect you to clean up this mess! And if you do, I'll double your pay! Get on it!"

I noticed that some of my soldiers grinned upon hearing that, and it made me smile, too. Undying loyaltly always made me happy. As I retreated from the mess behind me, I also became nostalgic. Those men, fighting for me, had done so ever since axes and clubs were the cutting edge in weapons. Back then, no one dared to riot. No one ever questioned me. I missed those days.

But now I knew, this time, right now, was the time to destroy those Greeks. My own people may have hated me right now, but I didn't fear them. I was still set on sealing my name in history as the greatest leader the world had ever seen, and I would do it by winning the new space race. Even if no one working on the spaceship showed up to work, I would go and build it piece by piece. That was the kind of ruler I was.


End file.
